FSIS News & Notes July 15, 2005 Congressional & Public Affairs Office/OPAEO
Tips for Employees Using the Quick Hire System
By Casey Jackson
Congressional and Public Affairs Office,
Office of Public Affairs, Education and Outreach

Whether browsing open vacancies or looking for career enhancement opportunities, employees can visit www.foodsafetyjobs.gov to fill out applications online. Below are some tips and reminders for employees navigating the Food Safety Jobs Online (FSJO)Web site:

Quick Hire: Getting Started
Employees can review any vacancy announcement and the questions that will be asked and print these out before actually applying. This gives potential applicants time to consider the questions and prepare answers before entering them in the system. In addition, narrative responses can be developed in a word processing system in advance. Don’t forget to save them and copy the answers into an on-line application. Go ahead and try the detailed procedure below to take your first look at an FSJO vacancy, or to apply.

Instructions:
1) Go to Web site http://www.foodsafetyjobs.gov.
2) Scroll down, and then click on the Food Safety Jobs Online badge.
3) Click “Login” (you may have to scroll down to see it).
4) Scroll down and select the “just browsing” radio button.
5) Scroll to the bottom of your screen, and then click “next.”
6) A list of currently open FSIS online vacancies appears (both at headquarters and in the field). Print if desired.
7) Click on the “view” tab of the vacancy announcement number to review it.
8) When the text of the announcement appears, be sure to review it carefully for important information on qualifications, when hard-copy documentation is needed, deadlines, etc.
9) Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and select “view vacancy questions” (your other choices here are “apply to this vacancy” and “back to vacancy listing”). You may print this page to obtain preview applicant assessment questions that would need to be answered for the application to be processed.

Employees may edit their application as long as the vacancy announcement is still open. They can also print out their Quickhire ID and password assigned in the registration process for future reference. There are also online instructions
to help if a password is forgotten.

A list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) is available about the application process on the front door of the FSJO Web site. Employees may contact a Human Resources Specialist during business hours to assist them with the application process at 1-800-370-3747 (field employees) or (202) 720-6617 (headquarters employees) if your questions are not answered within the Web site.

More Technical Tips for FSJO Users
! The “save” button and the “finish” button work differently, and it helps to have a clear idea of how these functions work when applying.
! The “save” button allows you to save work without submitting your application.
! The “finish” button submits your application;
! Remember that even if you have selected the “finish” button and your application is transmitted, you can come back in and edit your application until the vacancy closes. Go to the Web site and select “apply to vacancy,” select the vacancy, and the information you have there already will appear.
! If you edit your application after submitting it and click the “finish” button at the end, only your latest version will appear in the HR office and to the selecting official.
! Do not use the “reset” button unless you wish to erase everything and start over, since it will delete everything you have entered.

Verifying receipt of your resume
! Go to the Web site www.foodsafetyjobs.gov and enter your user ID and password, then select “edit personal information” to confirm that your resume
is correctly entered into the system. Scroll down to the resume block, and if you see the text there, it is entered correctly.